PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Norwich University softball team dropped a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) games on Saturday afternoon in its conference opener at Johnson & Wales.

Despite taking leads in both games, Johnson & Wales (10-0, 2-0 GNAC) rallied to win both games against Norwich to stretch its winning streak to six straight against the Cadets, dating back to 2017.

Norwich (1-3, 0-2 GNAC) led 6-2 in the first game, but it slipped away in the bottom of the fourth as JWU scored five runs, buoyed by a three-run triple from Jill Pulek that tied the game at 6-6. 

Senior catcher Elizabeth Niven (Londonderry, N.H.) hit her first career home run in the top of the first inning to score Annika Beebe (Marianna, Fla.) and give the Cadets an early 2-0 lead. The Cadets scored four more runs in the top of the third inning with Liliana Rolfe (Plainville, Mass.), Laura Deaton (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), Maggie Rasmussen (Kingston, N.H.) and Felicia Armell (North Ferrisburgh, Vt.) notching RBIs.

The Wildcats scored four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull away for good to clinch Game 1.

Niven went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Cadets' offense. Beebe took the loss allowing seven earned runs on 11 hits in four innings of work.

In Game 2, Rasmussen went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Dara Kelly (Chesterfield, N.J.) had two hits and three runs scored lead the Norwich offense in the second game.

Sophomore Allison Northup (Westerly, R.I.) took the loss after going two innings and giving up three earned runs. 

Norwich was orignally scheduled to face Keene State in a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday at noon. However, due to forecasted inclement weather, those games were canceled.

The Cadets return to action on Wednesday when they host Castleton University in a non-conference doubleheader for its first home games since 2019.